Possible charges: CHP police officer who beat defenseless woman on highway removed from duty
The California Highway Patrol officer who was videotaped punching a woman on the 10 Freeway has been relieved of his duties.
Officer Daniel Andrew could face “potentially serious charges.”
CHP officials said in a statement that they had forwarded to prosecutors the results of a criminal investigation into the “violent incident” between Officer Daniel Andrew and the woman, identified by her attorney as 51-year-old Marlene Pinnock. It was the first time the CHP has named the officer involved in the July 1 incident.
A CHP spokeswoman declined to say what charges Andrew could face, saying the decision to file charges was up to prosecutors. Jane Robison, a spokeswoman for the Los Angeles County district attorney’s office, confirmed that the office had received information on the case and said it was under review.
The incident attracted widespread attention after a video of the encounter — shot by a passing motorist — was posted to YouTube and aired on several television news stations. Local civil rights activists called on the CHP to take the matter seriously and conduct a thorough investigation into the officer’s actions. Others demanded that criminal charges be filed against the officer.
The video shows a uniformed CHP officer pinning the woman to the ground and repeatedly punching her, landing at least nine blows.
Read more at Los Angeles Times
The CHP said the officer was attempting to keep the woman from walking into rush-hour traffic and hurting herself or others.
According to the CHP’s incident summary, when the officer arrived, she ignored his commands and walked into the freeway’s lanes. She then became “physically combative” and “a physical altercation occurred.”
But Pinnock said she did nothing to provoke Andrew, and that she was simply walking in hopes of finding a place to sleep that night when he came up behind her. “I just want to see justice done and a good recovery for me,” she told the Times. “And him go to jail for what he has done.”
May justice be served.
Sound off below!